Hundreds of thousands of military veterans, their families, and civilians were exposed to harmful chemicals present at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune. Contaminants discovered in the on-base water supply between 1953 and 1987 have been linked to many different types of cancers, birth defects, and other health conditions.
Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys is positioned to represent the victims of this water crisis who may now live in California and in Ventura County. Those eligible to file a claim to receive compensation include victims who have suffered from the effects of toxic water contamination for perhaps decades. We also stand ready to represent the families of Camp Lejeune victims filing on behalf of their loved ones who didn’t survive long enough to get the justice they deserve.
Contact us as soon as possible for a free legal consultation if you or a loved one suffered an injury due to contact with the hazardous water at Camp Lejeune.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act for Ventura County Toxic Water Victims
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) was passed into law as part of the PACT Act on August 10, 2022. Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water victims now have a two-year window from that date to file injury claims against the Department of Defense.
The act makes it easier for victims of Camp Lejeune’s polluted water and their families to earn financial support. This support, although very late, is meant to help victims pay their medical bills past and present and receive justice for what they’ve been put through.
How Did the Camp Lejeune Water Supply Get Contaminated?
Testing in the 1980s located several harmful contaminants in two water treatment plants on base at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Perchloroethylene (PCE), Trichloroethylene (TCE), Benzene, and Vinyl Chloride were found at unsafe levels in the Camp Lejeune Water Supply. The contamination is thought to have been present for over 30 years from the 1950s to the 1980s.
It’s believed that leaking tanks containing Perchloroethylene at a nearby dry-cleaning facility caused some of the contamination. The other toxic chemicals identified came from the military’s use of certain degreasers and from leaking tanks and improperly handled waste disposal sites found on the base.
Military personnel, families living in on-base housing, and civilian workers were all exposed to these toxic chemicals. They were in the drinking water. Parents and their children bathed and cooked with this water. Somewhere around a million people may have been harmed by contact over the decades.
What Type of Health Issues has Camp Lejeune’s Toxic Water Caused?
Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water supply caused health problems for many people who didn’t even know their time at the base had caused their suffering. The chemicals have been associated with many different cancers, reproductive and birth issues, and other conditions.
The chemicals mentioned above have been linked to certain illnesses in medical studies and additional research continues to this day.
The ATSDR finds that victims who drank or came in contact with the water at Camp Lejeune could be at an increased risk for many types of cancers. This includes:
- Breast cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Lung cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Rectal cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Leukemia
- Hodgkin’s disease
Women who were exposed to toxic water could have suffered infertility and miscarriages. Their children may have suffered low birth weights and birth defects.
Victims may have suffered immune system deficiencies due to exposure. They could have been at advanced risk to develop Parkinson’s disease.
The list of potential health problems Camp Lejeune’s victims experienced continues to grow. Talk with a skilled Ventura County Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Attorney even if your illness doesn’t show up here. There may be compensation available to anyone who got sick after drinking the water at Camp Lejeune.
Who in Ventura County Is Eligible to File a Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Injury Claim?
Anybody who served, worked or lived on Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, is empowered to come forward and seek financial support. Exposure for victims must have spanned at least 30 days, but the days do not have to be continuous. The 30-day requirement could have been reached over several trips to the Marine Corps Camp Lejeune.
This pool of eligible claimants includes military veterans and their families, including reserve and National Guard members. Some victims may have later ended up at Naval Base Ventura County, serving at Point Mugu, Port Hueneme, or San Nicolas Island.
Civilian staff working on the base during this time frame are eligible
The children born to mothers who were exposed to the toxic water are also eligible to file. The families of those who have already passed away before CLJA money was available can file on a loved one’s behalf.
What If I’m Unsure If I Qualify for Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water Settlement Money?
There’s no need to wonder if you qualify or if you have enough evidence to earn injury compensation. A free case review with a Ventura County Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Lawyer is a no-risk way to determine if you and your family are owed compensation.
If finding the appropriate evidence is a concern, you won’t have to worry any longer. A skilled Ventura County personal injury lawyer fully investigates your case and tracks down medical records from decades ago if necessary. Service and work records are also located. Birth records and marriage certificates will also be helpful when it comes time to file a Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claim.
Your attorney handles complex filings and frustrating negotiations with federal attorneys. It’s all to make sure you receive what’s fair for the hardships and years of abandonment you and your family may have endured.
What Kind of Financial Support Can I Get in a CLJA Toxic Water Injury Claim?
Victims have likely suffered for years with their medical conditions caused by contact with contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The children of parents who were exposed could have been born with life-altering defects that they’ve had to cope with their whole lives.
The financial and emotional damages these illnesses and conditions have caused have added up over the years, and victims must receive what’s fair now that claims are permitted.
Victims and their families should receive full compensation for their related medical bills and that’s for as far back as they go. The bills that victims have already covered should be fully reimbursed. Patients should receive support if their toxic water exposure caused a permanent disability. That would be for past care and for care for the rest of their lives.
The pain and emotional suffering a patient has endured must also be considered when deciding the value of a Camp Lejeune toxic water settlement.
The lost paychecks and promotions a victim forfeited while missing work or after having to resign from military service due to illness will factor into the amount of a CLJA settlement check.
Families who have lost a loved one to a toxic water-related illness can seek wrongful death benefits to cover past medical costs and funeral expenses. The income lost that the deceased can no longer provide a spouse or children can earn additional compensation for the future.
Contact a Ventura County Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Lawyer
Camp Lejeune toxic water victims and their families may now live in Ventura County. Victims may reside in places like Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, Ventura, Simi Valley, Moorpark, and Camarillo. It’s important that potential victims move quickly to get their evidence in order and be ready to file a claim. Rulings on each case could take a while and the sooner victims file, the sooner they can hope to secure the support they need.
Contact Quirk Injury & Accident Attorneys, APC, to find out how much in support your family could earn. We want to hear about how your life or a loved one’s life was affected by Camp Lejeune’s water tragedy. Let our highly regarded Ventura County personal injury lawyers go to battle for you so that you can focus on recovery and rebuilding your life.